Book Proposal

The Last Great American Anti-Hero

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by Dary Matera

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I. CONCEPT

In the tradition of Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid , world renowned John Dillinger experts Joe Pinkston and Tom Smusyn offer DILLINGER -- The Last Great American Anti-Hero. The most definitive work of its kind, DILLINGER will be condensed and gleaned from a fact-filled, 1,800 page manuscript that was fifty years in the making. Finished just months before historian Joe Pinkston's own violent death in 1996, the extraordinary manuscript discovered in his personal belongings is filled with first hand accounts taken from friends, family members, law enforcement officers, and associates of the infamous bank robber (most of whom are now deceased.) Rewritten and polished into a fast-paced, action oriented biography by best selling author Dary Matera, DILLINGER will combine the fine detail of a meticulously researched epic with the adrenaline rush of a blockbuster Hollywood cops and robbers thriller.

Correcting past fallacies and replacing them with reams of startling new truths, DILLINGER promises to be a must-read for those with even a passing interest in superstar criminals, the roaring twenties, the Great Depression, the wild era of prohibition, and Americana in general.

II. OVERVIEW

During his heyday in the early 1930s, John Dillinger cut a path through America that has never been equaled. The suave but deadly outlaw was the FBI's first ever "Public Enemy Number 1," an honor he earned by embarking upon what remains as the most notorious and bizarre bank robbing spree in history. Six months into his year-long string of brazen stick ups, Dillinger had become so famous that crowds of a thousand or more would instantly materialize outside banks in mid-robbery. Dillinger and his gang had to push their way through the excited throngs like movie stars at the Oscars in order to reach their getaway cars.

Caught numerous times, Dillinger added to his invincible image by staging some of the most dramatic and harrowing prison escapes imaginable, proving over and over that the man, like the legend that followed, could not be contained. Ultimately betrayed and brought down by a lady (the infamous "Woman in Red,") the incredible story of John Dillinger remains as fresh as today's headlines, while at the same time offering a nostalgic look at our nation's machine-gun scarred past.

DILLINGER will reveal, among other things, all new information surrounding both well-known and little known events in the famous felon's short but turbulent life. These include:

*How women played a major role in both shaping and ending his life. Everyone knows about the "Woman In Red" who sold him out. But long before that fatal betrayal, his mother's death when he was three had already set the course of his antisocial life. He was raised in Indiana by an older sister who treated him harshly and turned him mean and bitter. A fiancee allowed her disapproving family to convince her to dump him. Later, his teenage wife ditched him, igniting his first crime spree. "He's as good as dead to me," she crowed to the newspapers.

* Young Dillinger's rejection by a cold, workaholic grocer-turned-farmer father who lost interest in the boy after the child's mother died and essentially started his life over with a new wife and family. "John had no mother," his father solemnly admitted, saying it all.

*The reasons why Dillinger, a disciplined and halfway decent student, dropped out of school at sixteen and abandoned his one true passion -- baseball.

*His short, tempestuous stint in the Navy. Three AWOLs and a court martial, all in the first ninety days. After that, he jumped ship for good.

*Dillinger's highly Freudian first robbery that permanently altered his destiny. The teen put a heavy bolt inside a handkerchief, armed himself with a handgun, and clubbed an elderly grocer -- just like his father once was -- in the head. He was caught, was forced to confess by his old man, and was imprisoned for eight stormy years.

*His eventual release, which kicked off a bold and stylish fourteen month crime spree that would make him a household name. The athletic young man was the first to vault through teller windows and over counters to snatch the cash -- a move later copied in scores of Hollywood movies. He never took money from customers, tossed roofing nails on the streets behind him to disable pursuing police, and made off in high profile getaway cars with screaming paint jobs.

*Dillinger's unprecedented assaults on two police stations and his plans to up the ante by raiding the weapons arsenal of an Army base.

*An inside look at how Dillinger orchestrated the largest prison break in Indiana history.

*A step-by-step account of Dillinger's escape from the heavily fortified Crown Point prison, along with his subsequent stay in St. Paul that lead to a deadly shoot-out with the FBI.

*How Dillinger eluded an intensive manhunt in Ohio by hopscotching between three separate hideouts.

*The hunt, capture and seduction of the bandit's main lady love, Evelyn "Billie" Frenchette. (She wasn't the "Woman In Red.")

*The gang's secret forays into Kentucky and their undetected activities in the Blue Grass state.

*The strange woman in Kokomo, Indiana who was always willing to risk it all by sheltering Dillinger and his wanted pals.

*Dillinger's mad, 500 mile dash to Michigan for a two-hour stay that would dramatically affect his violent life.

*Baby Face Nelson's escape from Little Bohemia, the FBI's fatal errors there, and how Nelson and Dillinger out-gunned the police.

*How lawmen tracked down and squeezed the doctor who performed Dillinger's innovative surgical makeover that was intended to forever cloak his identity.

*Dillinger's unsuccessful attempt to physically alter his fingerprints.

*The capture and "turning" of Arthur O'Leary, front man for Dillinger's lawyer.

*The real color of the outfit worn by the "Woman in Red" and the reasons behind the legendary mistake.

*The shocking reason John Dillinger had to be summarily executed by the Chicago police -- right under the noses of 21 FBI agents -- instead of arrested and imprisoned.

III. COMPETITION

The late Joe Pinkston's half-century association with John Dillinger's friends and family gave him a unique insight into the Dillinger legend. No one could come close to producing the rough manuscript he has left behind. Most of those quoted in the pages are long dead.

The most recent Dillinger books can't compare with the epic nature of this offering. Dillinger -- The Untold Story (Indiana University Press, 1994) was derived from an old manuscript from 1935 that was narrowly focused on the recollections of Dillinger's egotistical attorney. The Dillinger Days (Da Capo Press, 1995) appears to have been a vanity press offering. Prior to that, the only major Dillinger bio was a reprint in 1990 of the 1962 Robert Crome, Joe Pinkston collaboration Dillinger: A Short and Violent Life. (McGraw Hill). Although that book was a critical and commercial success, Pinkston was not happy with its scope, accuracy and tone. (It was mostly written by Crome.) Its publication merely intensified his half-century effort to finish his own painstakingly researched manuscript.

IV. TIMELINESS

Hollywood has once again become fascinated with criminals from Dillinger's era. Upcoming major motions pictures will cover the life and times of, among others: "Pretty Boy Floyd" (Warner Brothers, from the book by Larry McMurtry); "Al Capone" (Miramax, from the recent book by Laurence Bergreen); "The Newton Boys" (20th Century Fox, from the book by Claude Stanush); and "Hoodlums" (MGM, from a book about Dutch Schultz). DILLINGER, banking upon a name recognition that remains astoundingly high even today, is sure to attract similar interest. The original

Dillinger manuscript was optioned as a theatrical motion picture in 1996. The producers are interested in doing a book/movie co-publicity campaign with the DILLINGER publisher.

V. MARKETING AND PUBLICITY

Dary Matera has participated in numerous book tours (see co-authors). He and surviving co-author, Tom Smusyn, a Roaring Twenties/Depression Era gangster historian, are willing to tour as extensively as required to promote DILLINGER. In addition, three of Matera's previous books, Are You Lonesome Tonight? (CBS) , Quitting The Mob (HBO) , and The Pena Files (Fox) are expected to air as television movies in 1998-99. His most recent book, "Taming The Beast" is about Charles Manson and will be heavily promoted upon its release in early1998. It has also been optioned -- pre-publication -- for a future television movie.

The John Dillinger Historical Wax Museum in Nashville, Indiana is eager to stage various promotional events to celebrate both the publication of DILLINGER, and the subsequent Dillinger motion picture. The museum will sell the book on site to its 50,000 annual visitors, giving DILLINGER a solid back list potential. The museum is also interested in establishing a Dillinger web page on the internet to promote both itself and the new Dillinger biography.

Similarly, the lodge in Little Bohemia, Wisconsin that was the site of the famous Dillinger gang/FBI shoot-out has been transformed into a bustling tourist haunt -- complete with rumors that Dillinger buried some of his stolen loot nearby. The proprietors would be happy to sell the book and cooperate with any anniversary promotional activities.

One of Dillinger's less pleasant home environments, the Crown Point Prison in Indiana, also offers tours and would be receptive to selling DILLINGER.

Every few years, the Biograph Theater in Chicago, in conjunction with the Chicago Historical Society, stages a dramatic recreation of the John Dillinger shooting outside the famous movie house. This popular event can be scheduled to coincide with the release of DILLINGER.

John Dillinger grave site in Martinsville, Illinois is yet another popular attraction that pulls in 20,000 tourists a year. DILLINGER will be a perennial hit in the area bookstores.

Chicago's Castle Royal nightclub, a popular Dillinger watering hole, remains open and makes great hay out of stories that the famous gangster's ghosts haunts the refurbished dance saloon. DILLINGER would be a must read for the club's 25,000 annual revelers.

Both the Discovery and Arts and Entertainment cable television channels have produced special, hour-long features on Dillinger that are aired periodically. A&E's offering is part of their highly popular "Biography" series. Discovery and A&E have monthly magazines and web pages that could push the new DILLINGER book whenever the programs are scheduled to air.

Finally, Untouchable Tours, "Chicago's Original Gangster Tour," carts its 40,000 annual visitors to the Biograph Theater every year. The tour can help promote DILLINGER upon its release, and keep it alive throughout its back list history.

VI. RESEARCH MATERIAL

The materials gathered for DILLINGER include:

*More than 10,000 pages of FBI files.

*In depth background reports on every member of the Dillinger gang, their wives and girlfriends, the law enforcement officers who hunted them, the lawyers who defended them, and the judges who tried them.

*Thousands of newspaper accounts of Dillinger's exploits from all across the nation.

*The deportation file of Anna Sage, the infamous "Woman In Red."

*Indiana and Chicago police reports.

*The personal file of Forrest Huntington, the American Surety Company agent who hunted Dillinger.

*Thousands of pages of prison records.

*Hundreds of interviews with, and personal letters from, both associates and victims of John Dillinger's rampages.

*Federal Archives records.

*Birth certificates, death certificates, coroners' reports, marriage certificates, divorce papers and criminal court records.

*More than a thousand photos of people and locations.

*Extensive interviews with Audrey Dillinger, Dillinger's sister, and Melvin Purvis, the famed FBI agent credited with bringing Dillinger down.

*Interviews with numerous FBI agents and Chicago police officers who worked Dillinger's final "assassination" at the Biograph Theater.

VII. AUTHOR

Dary Matera is a veteran of the crime/biography genre, making him especially qualified to shepherd the editing and rewriting of the massive, 1,800 page DILLINGER manuscript.

Matera's books and subjects have been featured on 20/20, 60 Minutes, 48 Hours, Primetime Live, Larry King Live, Nightline, Expose, Donahue, Oprah, Regis and Kathy Lee, Good Morning America, A Current Affair, Inside Edition, Hollywood Insider, PM Magazine and Personalities among others. They have been reviewed and featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Atlanta Journal/Constitution, The Miami Herald, Newsweek, Time, People magazine, Life, Satellite Orbit, Editor & Publisher, The American Bar Journal, The Library Journal, Publisher's Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Tribune Newspapers and many additional newspapers and magazines.

Matera's first mass market, non-fiction book, Are You Lonesome Tonight? (Random House/Villard) was a New York Times best seller in both hardcover (1987) and paperback (1988, Berkeley). There are presently more than a million copies in print. The tender story of Elvis Presley's one true love and the child he never knew was a Doubleday Book Club/Literary Guild Special Bonus Selection, and was serialized in Redbook, The National Enquirer, and leading magazines in Italy and Germany. Foreign editions were published in England, France (number 1 best seller), Holland, South Africa, Switzerland, Australia and Japan. It was optioned as a four-hour television mini-series by NBC in 1987, by FOX Television in 1994, and by CBS in 1996.

His second book, Get Me Ellis Rubin! -- The Life, Times and Cases of a Maverick Lawyer, was published in hardcover by St. Martin's Press in October 1989. It received wide critical acclaim and was optioned by TeleCom Communications for development as a network television series. Get Me Ellis Rubin! was published in paperback by St. Martin's Press under the title For The Defense in June 1991.

Matera's third book, Quitting The Mob -- How The Yuppie Don Left The Mafia And Lived to Tell His Story, was published in hardcover by HarperCollins in February 1992. It was optioned as a theatrical movie by Epic Productions, and was serialized in the February 1992 edition of Cosmopolitan. The biography of a young mobster trying to turn his back on his inherited criminal life was featured on 48 Hours, Primetime Live, CNBC, HBO and Today. The paperback was published in April 1993. Quitting The Mob was optioned as a four-hour mini-series by Aaron Spelling Entertainment in 1996, and Sandbox Productions in 1997.

His fourth book, What's In It For Me? -- How an Ex-Wiseguy Exposed the Greed, Jealousy, and Lust That Drive American Politics, was published in hardcover by HarperCollins in July 1992. It was featured on Larry King Live and received favorable reviews in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. Motion picture rights were secured by Imagination Communications, Barbour/Langley Productions, Sheldon Post Productions (1996) and Orly Adelson Productions (1996). The paperback was published by HarperCollins in September 1993.

Matera's fifth book and first novel, a thriller entitled Strike Midnight (written under a pseudonym), was published by Vine Books in 1994. It was picked up by the Crossing Book Club (Doubleday) and was optioned by Paradise Valley Productions, Inc. in 1995.

His sixth book, Angels of Emergency -- Rescue Stories From America's Paramedics and EMTs, was published by HarperCollins in July 1996. Subsidiary rights are pending. Matera's seventh book, The Pena Files -- Dramatic Cases From The World's Top PI, was published by Regan Books (HarperCollins) in July 1996. It was optioned by Fox Television in 1997. His eighth book, Among Grizzlies (ghosted) was published by HarperCollins in Spring 1997. Subsidiary rights are pending. His ninth book, Taming The Beast -- Charles Manson's Crazed Life Behind Bars, will be published by St. Martin's Press in Spring 1998. It has been optioned by Once Upon A Time Productions.

Matera, forty-two, was formerly a reporter for The Miami News and

worked as an editor in the book division of Rodale Press, the publishers of Prevention magazine. At Rodale, he was responsible for the writing and editing of selected chapters in six health and fitness books with sales of more than four million.

VII. CONTRIBUTORS

The late Joe Pinkston was born in Indiana and spent much of his youth in Martinsville, the place where John Dillinger was slapped with his first jail sentence. Pinkston's uncle, Robert Humphrys, knew Dillinger as a boy and used to shoot pool with him at the local tavern. Humphrys later became a reporter for the International News Service and covered his old pal extensively, including Dillinger's funeral.

After a hitch in the Air Force during the Korean War, Pinkston returned to Indiana and went to work as an undercover detective for the famed Pinkerton National Detective Agency -- the same PI firm that played a major role in hunting Dillinger decades before. Many of the agents who worked the Dillinger case were still around when Pinkston signed on. With little prodding, they eagerly shared their stories. In 1960, Pinkston teamed with author Robert Cromie to write the acclaimed book Dillinger -- A Short and Violent Life (McGraw Hill, 1962). In 1970, Pinkston assisted famed director David Wolper in producing "The Last Days of John Dillinger," a one-hour television special that was part of the Emmy Award winning "Appointment With Destiny" series. Pinkston served as historical advisor and played the part of FBI agent Charles Winstead, the man erroneously credited with killing John Dillinger.

Pinkston moved to Chicago in the mid 1960s to work for Motorola as a designer for two-way police radio systems. In 1974, Pinkston was asked to display some of his Dillinger memorabilia at the Morgan County Fall Festival in Martinsville, Indiana. The booth was such a hit that city officials asked him to make it a permanent attraction. That later grew into "The John Dillinger Historical Wax Museum" in Nashville, Indiana, twenty-five miles southeast of Martinsville. Former FBI agent Barton Hahn was Pinkston's partner in the successful venture that remains popular today.

In 1988, Pinkston teamed with historian Tom Smusyn to continue Pinkston's life long efforts to produce the definitive book on John Dillinger. Shortly after they finished in1996, Pinkston's fifth wife left him for a younger man. (He was sixty-five. She was forty-five.) Despondent over that, along with his failing health, he fired a bullet into his stomach. When that failed to kill him, he put a second one into his head. That did the trick. Pinkston left behind a rough draft of a completed, 1,800 page manuscript.

Tom Smusyn is a Chicago crime buff and historical researcher. He served on the USS Elokomin, an oil tanker, during his Naval career in the 1950s, then followed that by carting the mail for the U.S. Postal Service for thirty years before dedicating his life to his real love -- studying 1920s and 1930s era gangsters. He is available to audiences large and small for speaking engagements and photo/slide presentations.

Review Quotes from Dary Matera's previous books:

What's In It For Me?

"A quick and dirty lesson in the ways of power politics and the architecture of shameless political greed...Should be required reading for conspiracy buffs, political junkies and anyone who wants to see corruption in its purest form...If you didn't know better, you'd think "What's In It For Me?" was fictional detective pulp, built around a plot of political corruption and greed so naked and pervasive that it couldn't possibly exist in the Real World. Unfortunately...it is the real world...After reading "What's In It for Me?" it's reasonable to wonder whether Arizonians would be better off without a state government." -- Phillip J. LaVelle, The San Diego Union-Tribune, 8/16/92

"...Replete with sleazy, detailed political gossip...Mr. Stedino's breezy and engaging personality moves the story along -- as does the tension from his oft-stated worry about whether he will survive the dangers of his undercover caper." -- David Haward Bain, The New York Times, 10/25/92.

"Grimly hilarious...The cast is pure Damon Runyon in the desert...There's a potent authenticity in this detailed account of venality, sex and corruption, powered by a driving, hypnotic narrative...Stedino and Matera seem made for each other, creating a narrative voice that's half wise-guy, half collegiate philosopher. Very hard to put down." -- Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 1992.

"...Reads like something Jackie Collins wouldn't have dared make up...You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll reach for the Maalox as you read about our duly elected officials cavorting in topless bars, wrangling for shrimp concessins, slamming each other, trying to see up women legislators' dresses and plotting to commit murder...Author Dary Matera infuses Stedino's foray into the underbelly of Arizona politics with a dark, chortling humor rarely encountered outside a comedy club. Matera, who has written about former wiseguys before, has a rare talent for painting sympathetic portraits of these attractive rascals..." -- Betty Webb, Tribune Newspapers, 7/4/92

"...Sleazy and bizarre characters...Mr. Stedino's account of AzScam is persistently amusing." -- John H. Fund, The Wall Street Journal, 8/13/92

"...`What's In It For Me?' might be a lock for the best seller list...Stedino's story, penned with Dary Matera, documents enough political corruption to give a Washington lobbyist nightmares...It's some biography, the stuff of books to say the least...The best part of the book is in quotations. The story relies heavily on court-approved recording of politicians, lobbyists and their ilk sucking up to Stedino's Tony Vincent Mafia character and then taking his money like curs at the butcher's back door...Should be required reading for anyone studying political science or contemplating a run for office. It's a helluva read for those of us who would like to see the world's political lowlifes get hit by a Greyhound." -- John L. Smith, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/26/92

"It reads like a volumn from the pen of Elmore Leonard." -- J.C. Martin, The Arizona Daily Star, 7/30/92

"`What's In It For Me?' is a wild and often comic account of politicians on the take." -- Copley News Service, Richardson Texas News, 8/7/92

"There is so much vicious gossip that it's hard to put it down...This book gives us an astonishing record as to the manner in which lobbyists perform...Read it carefully..." -- Tom Fitzpatrick, New Times, 6/3/92

"...Priceless conversations with the politicians and lobbyists caught up in the sting. It is incredible to read of the greed involved in this story...It looks like (Joe Stedino) might make the best seller list." -- Don DiGilio, Las Vegas Sun, 7/10/92

"The text portrays a crew of greedy, lascivious, foul-mouthed boors steering the ship of state." -- Christine Kindl, Greensburg, PA Tribune Review, 10/4/92.

"The book is filled with tawdry conversations by and about

Arizona's leading political figures. Many conversations are guaranteed to shock, embarrass and humiliate." -- Jane Morrison, Las Vegas Review-Journal, 7/26/92

"This is Arizona entertainment at its sleazy, vaudevillian best." -- The Arizona Republic, 7/12/92

"...One blockbuster revelation...exploded like another Stedino time bomb in the AzScam case...Reams of dialogue that was too slanderous or salacious for publication in the mainstream press...The manuscript shows another side of the prismatic Mr. Stedino, and of Arizona politics." -- Dennis Wagner, The Phoenix Gazette, May 1992.

"...Witty...Entertaining...cloak-and-dagger gossip about people in the news..." -- Keven Willey, The Arizona Republic, 5/28/92

"A young mobster's progress, 1980's sizzle style...a depth unusual for this type of memoir...Sharp and contemporary. A bullet rising." -- Kirkus Reviews, 12/15/91

"...Quitting The Mob makes for absorbing reading. Matera, a former journalist, spins a compelling yarn, especially when he adds his editorial asides to the "non-violent" don's self-serving life story." -- Betty Webb, Tribune Newspapers, 5/17/92

"...A peek into the mob of the future...Franzese's story is fast-paced, well-written and makes good reading...Franzese's depiction of the mob lifestyle rings true, and the reading really does sail along..." -- Dan Herbeck, Buffalo News, 4/19/92

"Perhaps the only author with as much reason as Salman Rushdie to be looking nervously over his shoulder these days is Michael Franzese...His story is one of a bright young man who earned millions for the mob and himself..."Quitting The Mob" does a nice job of capturing how cutthroat the Mafia is and the everpresent possibility that a member can be snuffed out. Some of the book's best passages deal with the fate of his sister's mafioso lover when he falls from favor." -- Larry Keller, Fort Lauderdale News/Sun-Sentinel, May 24, 1992.

"...One of those rare first-person, non-fiction books that reads like a suspense novel...a thoroughly enjoyable, can't-wait-until-the-next page thriller packed with incredible adventures...every chapter is exciting...those who love crime stories based on unusual behavior twists will revel...not an ounce of drama is omitted as Mr. Rubin's exciting life story unfolds...a life like Ellis Rubin's would make most works of fiction pale by comparison... -- Delaware State News (12/3/89)

"Case after case is high drama... (The Television Intoxication case) evokes the excitement of "Murder, She Wrote" or "Matlock" or "Miami Vice...." It's an exciting book. Worth reading. Worth buying..." -- The Hendersonville, N.C. Times-News (11/26/89)

"A riviting account of some of Rubin's most famous cases...this is an intensely personal book...the suspenseful nature reads like a good mystery; the straightforward prose style matches the subject matter; and best of all, these stories represent our history." ---Ft. Lauderdale News and Sun Sentinel (11/5/89)

"An appealingly fiesty memoir from a high profile defense lawyer...The media savvy that's powered Florida barrister Rubin onto 60 Minutes, Nightline and Oprah courses through this entertaining legal autobiography...a provacative platform for legal reform...Pleasantly tart and steadily engrossing...a wise addition to anyone's popular-law shelf." ----KirKus Reviews (10/15/89)

"Absorbing...a story worth telling and worth reading...The autobiographical information is as interesting as the case descriptions." -- The Indianapolis Star (1/21/90)

"Compelling...keeps the reader wondering what's coming next" -- The Rocky Mountain News (1/7/90)

"Sensitive, amusing and entertaining...off-beat charm...Rubin attracts clients that are so intriguing or bizarre that they seem to belong in a work of fiction." -- The Tampa Tribune (1/21/90)o

"Dramatic and Colorful..."--- Publisher's Weekly (10/20/89)

"The book is full of the juicy gossip and behind-the-scenes strategy that courtroom junkies love." -- The Delaware News Journal (10/30/89)

"High drama..." --- Booklist (11/1/89)

"...An interesting book...entertaining as well...has variety and good pacing. It should appeal to anyone interested in the law or current events." -- The Alexandria Daily Town Talk (12/16/89)

"(The Death of a Debutante) is one of the most interesting parts of an interesting book." -- The Baltimore Sun (1/16/90)

"...Provides interesting glimpses of how an attorney can use press leaks and jury selection tactics to bolster his case, and how instinctive judgements under pressure can alter the course of a trial....nicely done are his descriptions of how he overcame a stammering problem, and his dark and cynical thoughts of the criminal justice system while confined to jail for contempt of court." -- The Buffalo News

"A readable memoir." -- Chattanooga Times (1/10/90)

"Disarmingly honest..." -- The Orlando Sentinel (3/11/90)

"A pleasant surprise...entertaining...The most intriguing and moving chapters concern Lisa Keller, a sickly 29-year-old who bludgeoned her father to death..." -- The St. Petersburg Times (3/4/90)

"Intriguing." -- The Florida Times Union, Jacksonville, Florida (11/4/89)

"...As colorful and offbeat as his city. Rubin's made more national headlines than several governors of Florida." -- Tampa Tribune (12/4/89)

"Crisp sketches of crimes and courts...succeeds as a true crime work..." -- American Bar Association Journal (11/89)

Strike Midnight (a novel)

"James Bond meets Hal Lindsey in this fast-paced action/adventure novel that includes espionage, aerial combat, high tech weaponry and exciting romance...Matera has written a satisfying novel...One of the better end times novels on the market." -- Bookstore Journal -- July 1994

"An intriguing, suspenseful speculation on life after the rapture..." Patty O'Connell, The American Library Association Booklist.

"...Filled with enough derring-do to make James Bond look like a sissy...There are a number of stories that will keep readers rapidly turning the pages to find out how our hero solves his many life-and-death cases." -- Publishers Weekly, July 15, 1996

"...A mighty disperser of pleasant illusions...What really distinguishes the book is Pena's invigoratingly blunt detail about the venality, viciousness, cowardice and stupidity of a sizable number of important federal law enforcement people...Plenty of cleansing fervor and anger..." -- The Washington Post, August 22, 1996

"There are enough shootouts, kidnapping, car chases, stakeouts and icy confrontations to appease the most cynical reader...This book is genuinely entertaining because it is so well-crafted and true-to-form." -- Bookscapes, September, 1996.

OUTLINE

Introduction

The amazing history of Joe Pinkston, his violent death, and the incredible 1,800 page, rough draft Dillinger manuscript found in his home not far from his body. How this unearthed treasure -- complete with first hand interviews with scores of those who knew the famed bank robber -- will change virtually everything that was previously known about one of the most famous felons America has produced.

Chapter 1

As the massive manhunt closes in, John Dillinger goes to the Biograph theater with his girlfriend and The Woman in Red.

Chapter 2

Begins chronological story. Dillinger grows up angry and mean in Indianapolis, and later on a small farm in Mooresville, Indiana. His mother dies when he's three, leaving him with a cold, distant father and uncaring sisters. A teenage bride hammers another nail into his psychological coffin when she leaves him. Mentally on the ropes, he decides that there are easier ways to make a living than toiling in some wretched factory. That road leads to violent robberies and numerous incarcerations, where the proverbial angry young man is anything but a model prisoner.

Chapter 3

Young Dillinger is such a hard guy that the local authorities have him transferred to "The Big House." The move hardly fazes him. He holds his own with the assorted psychos and alerts his niece to be on the lookout for a "sweet girl with plenty of money." He serves his time and immediately renews his life of crime.

Chapter 4

Tired of chump change, Dillinger graduates to banks. Initially, he's polite with the tellers, calling the women "honey" and the men "sir." Even with the higher takes, Dillinger blows the money on fast living and must constantly feed his champagne and roses habit. He's arrested again and locked up. A joint escape effort sets ten cons free -- but not John. He vows never to be on the short end of a break again.

Chapter 5

Dillinger's friends help him bust out, killing a sheriff in the process. The heart of the subsequent gang is formed. It's a motley crew of cutthroats and murderers, some destined to become almost as famous as their leader.

Chapter 6

Spilling blood everywhere they go, Dillinger and pals quickly become known as "The Terror Gang." The Indiana Attorney General declares war on them. The robbers are cornered a few times and narrowly escape. Unfazed, they grow so bold they start hitting police stations to steal weapons.

Chapter 7

A band of crooked Wisconsin bankers recruit Dillinger to knock over their Depression drained institution before it goes belly up. Dillinger obliges. Meanwhile, in Texas, Baby Face Nelson and his crew are blazing a bloody trail through the old west.

Chapter 8

The Terror Gang meets Baby Face and decides not to unite -- not yet anyway. A third group, "The Newton Boys," is also put on hold. The mean tempered mobs continue to wreak separate havoc, killing good cops along the way and attracting crowds like movie stars. Dillinger vaults through teller windows and takes hostages to assure safe getaways. The hostages are always treated well and are immediately released when the coast is clear. They become short term celebrities themselves.

Chapter 9

The police heat in Chicago drives Dillinger south to plow new fields. He plugs a cop along the way, recording his only recorded kill. Even then, he pleads self-defense. "He stepped right out and started throwing slugs at me," he protests.

Chapter 10

The gang heads west and is nailed in Tucson. Lead thug Harry Pierpont threatens the cowpoke cops who had the audacity to bring him in. "I'll get you, and you, and you. I can get out of any jail, and I won't forget." Local police flock to Tucson to take a shot at parading Dillinger through their towns. A custody battle ensues. Dillinger tries to settle the squabble by choosing to voluntarily go with the police chief from Wisconsin because "you look more sociable." He ends up leaving with a popular prosecutor from Indiana. Front page photos of a smiling Dillinger with his arm draped around the prosecutor's shoulder destroys the man's once rocketing political career.

Chapter 11

Big John connects with his long time attorney, Louis Piquett, and Piquett's colorful investigator, Author O'Leary. As Piquett plots the defense, the remaining at large gang members knock off more stores and banks to pay the lawyer's fee. The subsequent trial involves everyone from the governor to the press.

Chapter 12

All that legal and law enforcement work goes for naught as Dillinger defies police boasting, carves himself a wooden gun, strolls out of the jail, and takes off in the sheriff's car. The Feds now get involved, vowing to bring Dillinger to justice. J. Edgar Hoover pumps Dillinger's menacing image to enhance the reputation of his force.

Chapter 13

Dillinger throws in with Baby Face Nelson after his former right hand man, Harry Pierpont, is convicted and sentenced to death. The star-studded Dillinger/Nelson gang goes to work, hitting a bank in Iowa and locking a vice president in the vault. The new gang's success coincides with the old crew's demise. Former Terror Gang members Charles Makley and Russell Clark are captured and convicted. The noose tightens as Judge William J. Murray orders his prosecutors and police force to get to the bottom of a prior Dillinger escape.

Chapter 14

The Feds swarm a hideout and surround Dillinger and his girlfriend, Evelyn Frenchette. Dillinger ignores Evelyn's pleas to leave her behind and save himself and manages to get them both out. Despite the constant heat, he returns home to visit his father for an emotional reconciliation. A celebration ensues as relatives come from miles around. The whole town knows he's there, yet nobody rats. John cries as he kisses his stepsisters good-bye. "John likes children and dogs," his father says. "That shows he's a good boy."

Chapter 15

Evelyn gets busted, takes a hard fall, and is sent to prison. Shortly thereafter, one of Dillinger's long time associates gives it up in a hail of bullets. Heartbroken, Dillinger is forced to take off on his own. Gang member John Hamilton pays his sister a scary visit, then heads for a rendezvous with Dillinger at "Louis' Place."

Chapter 16

A brutal shoot-out erupts at Little Bohemia, Illinois, with casualties on both sides. In their haste, the FBI blows away two innocent civilians mistaken for Dillinger and Baby Face Nelson. Baby Face screams for his guys to "aim for the head" because the Feds are wearing bullet proof vests. Dillinger escapes again, "borrowing" a citizen's car at the Spiral Bridge. Original gang member John Hamilton dies of his injuries and Dillinger gives him a proper burial, sprinkling lye over Hamilton's face and hands in a nearby field. The public is outraged over the FBI's carelessness.

Chapter 17

The gang now finds that hideouts and helpful citizens are becoming scarce -- thanks to Hoover's scare tactics. Homer Van Meter cracks "I used to be a respectable bank robber until I got in with Dillinger." The tattered gang hits another bank and takes clerk Ruth Harris hostage to insure their getaway. "We must have been going eighty miles per hour," she remarks afterward, mentioning the high water mark for cars of that era.

Chapter 18

Dillinger, now desperate to shake the intense manhunt, orders a plastic surgeon to change his face. Afterwards, his associates murder two cops they suspect know about the operation. Long time gang member Tommy Carol dies hard and ugly. "I don't care what they say," Carol's grieving wife laments. "He was always good to me."

Chapter 19

The pressure intensifies as Dillinger calls in all his remaining favors. "I still have some friends," he writes his father. Van Meter hides in Calument as Baby Face plans their next move. Defiant to the end and confident in his new facial mask, Dillinger paints the town red. "I was goofy about him" coos his last girlfriend, Polly Hamilton, approving the surgical touches.

Chapter 20

New face but same old occupation. Dillinger and crew hit a bank a few miles from the famed Notre Dame campus in South Bend, Indiana. The job is wild and reckless. Van Meter dances around the corner, firing his machine gun like a crazy man, then takes a slug to the head. A citizen shoots Baby Face Nelson in the back. Both survive. The reward money the Feds are offering brings more rats out of the sewer. Harry Pierpont's father plots to sell out his son's boss.

Chapter 21

The reward money talks. The Chicago police are tipped to Dillinger's plan to cool down one hot July night at the Biograph Theater. They plot to assassinate him with the help of the Women in Red. This time, the plan works. Dillinger eats lead and dies in a pool of blood at age thirty-two. His ravaged body is ghoulishly placed on public display. Five thousand people mob the site. Another five thousand swarm the funeral. Dillinger's father complains of a cold-blooded murder, but few listen.

Chapter 22

The house of cards tumbles. Van Meter is similarly betrayed in St. Paul, Minnesota. Pierpont is captured in Tucson, Arizona. Baby Face is snagged at a blistering shoot out in Barrington, Illinois. The FBI and Chicago police face internal and external heat about the Dillinger killing, which happened on their watch. A Chicago FBI agent, incensed over leaks that Anna Sage -- the illustrious Woman in Red -- was the Judas who betrayed Dillinger, threatens to spill the beans about the assassination plot. Sage is deported back to Romania to shut her up. Rumors fly, causing J. Edgar Hoover to write directly to the journalism trade magazine Editor & Publisher in order to defend the actions of his department. At the same time, Hoover downplays the efforts of Agent Melvin Purvis, whom he despises, and tries to give the glory to Sam Cowley, one of his yes men.

Chapter 23

What subsequently happened to Dillinger's friends, girlfriends and gang members in the decades following the execution of their infamous leader.

Chapter 24

Dillinger's enduring legacy. How he became "the Elvis of criminals." Why he remains a household name even today -- nearly a half century after his death. Why people continue to flock to a museum created in his "honor." Why crime buffs book rooms at the inn in Little Bohemia where he escaped the blundering FBI, and hold impromptu gatherings, parties and seances at his grave. Why the city of Chicago stages highly popular street-theater reenactments of Dillinger's death.

Epilogue

John Dillinger died as he lived, hard and fast. So ironically, did his life long biographer, author Joe Pinkston. Both succumbed to gunshot wounds after being betrayed by a woman. Pinkston perished by his own hand. Dillinger fell to his own arrogance.